of buffalo



' Aug-27,1923 J. F. RUHLAND I 1,725,767

SHOE

Filed Oct. 22. 1927 mmmsmm provide an improved shoe construction hav Patented Aug. 27, 1929.

UNITED stares PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. RUHLAND, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 JOHN ECBBER'IS .SHOE

, COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK. I

sHoE. I

Application filed October 22, 1927. Serial No. 227,940.

supports have never heretofore been satis-' factory when placed above the inner sole,'be

cause of the fact that they hurt the feet of i the wearer. Many of theseprior support-s also caused a'bulging of the shoes during use, werevery uncomfortable to the wearer, and were expensive and difficult-to make.

An object of this invention is to'provide an improved shoeconstructi'on of the arch supporting type.

Another object of'the invention is to pro vide an improvedshoe construction having an arch support incorporated therein, which will be exceptionally comfortable to the wearer and a practical and satisfactory support to the arch of the wearersfooit; which will support any weight of the wearer with out deformation of the shoe; which may be used either in the hard sole or cushion sole type of shoes; which provides a resilient arch support for the wearer; which will not hurt the feet of the wearer; which will be light in weight, easily incorporated in shoe constructions with a minimum of hand work, and which will be relatively simple and inex pensive.

A further object of the invention isto ing an arch support therein which will also have the function of strengthening the shoe clinch the nails of the heel and protect the wearers heel from projecting clinched ends of heel securing nails when the shoe heels are attached by nails; which'will provide a firm anchorage for bolts 01' screws when various types of heels are attached; and with which a shoe so constructed will have a relatively smooth upper surface along the sole.

Various other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description of an embodiment of the invention, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with the appended claims. i

In the drawings Fig. 1 isa perspective of an inner sole with an attached stud, illustrating a stepin the manufacture of a shoe in accordance with this invention; v

Fig. 2 is a perspective of the arch supporting strip;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through a shoe constructed in accordance with this invention, and of the type known as the cushion sole shoe; 4

Fig. 4 is a plan of the insole with; arch support attached thereto ready for incorporation with the other parts of the shoe and illustrating another step in the manufacture of Ce shoe in accordance with this invention; an V Fig. 5 is a perspective of a'portion of the inner sole and attached parts shown in Fig. l, with certain of the parts broken away to show details of parts otherwise concealed or not clearly illustrated in the other'views.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the insole or inner sole 1, shown separately in Fig. 1, may be of any suitable or usual construction, and is usually formed of flexible sheetmaterial such as leather. At

a point adjacent the forward end of the arch section of this sole, a rivet or stud 2 is passed through the sole, preferably with the head uppermost, and the depending or projecting end or prongs partially clinched or upset so as to prevent withdrawal of the rivet or stud from the sole. cushion sole type having a cushion pad, this cushion pad 3, Figs. 3 and 5, is disposed upon the upper face of the inner sole before the stud or rivet 2 is passed therethrough, so that the head of the rivet or stud 2 will proofthe' hard sole type, this cushion layer or pad 3 is omitted. Such a cushionlayer or sole 3 is commonly formed of a sheet of felt or the like, cut to approximately the size, of

When the shoe is of the I ,ject upwardly therefrom. When the shoe is at the breast of the heel; which will serve to the inner sole and disposed uponthe upper h face of the same. V

. A strip of felt 5 or the like is fitted over the arch section of the upper surface of the inner sole and upon the cushion sole or layer if one is used, this strip 5 extending forwardly somewhat beyond and over the stud 2, and preferably tapering off to a thin edge at its forward end. A sock lining or bottom lining 6 for the shoe,formed of suitable sheet material, such as leather of the type used for lining shoes, canvas or other ma terial, is fitted over the upper face of the innersole, so as to cover the insole and strip 5. The lining 6 and the strip 5, as well as the cushion sole layer 3, when used, are coextensive in width with the inner sole, and the cushion sole 3 and the sock lining 4 extend from the toe end of the inner sole to the heel section of the sole. The strip 5 also extends rearwardly tothe heel section of the sole. The lining 6, strip 5 and cushion pad or ayer 8 are pre erab y ermina d j cent he for ard ge of the he l se tio for m nufac u ing r a ons, but if de ire may be extended entirely to the rear end of he inner sole The side edges from the toe to the heel section. of this built up inner sole are then ec red t gether such a by s itching, th stitching being conveniently performed on a sewing machine. In some instances also hef re'the stitc ing is perf me it i d- .yisab e t first rra ge trips 7 f tape o th like al ng the sid dges of the inne soleand pa ts sup imp s d the eon, so that the tape wil b confined ther to by th stitching as shown in Fig. 5. The tape 7 c nceals and covers the edge of the built p inner sole, and ma e a more. a ractive an sa isfactory article,

After the parts have been secur d together, such as by stitching n this manne a arch s pporting strip sho ep ra y in Fig- 2 is inse ted i to the a ch ection o the built up, inner sole. Thisarch support ing s ip 8 i fo med of. lexible silien shee mate ia such s pri g brass, stee o other esilien met l, and prefer bly xtends over the h cls e'tion and ightly fo wa dly of the a ch sectio of he ner sole- The f rward of th s s ip 8 is. provi with a no ch or lo 9 havi g' onverging e t ance or approac ing s dewalls. l0,so that n the not h d end is i se t d f remost be ween the cushion strip 5 and he cushio .sole 3 or t e inner e Lt nve ging si walls 10 of the notch will guide the r ar end of the arch strip 8 i o emb ac ng lation wi h he shank of. the ri et or s nd nd will guide e n rro ection 9 of th .notch into a p siti n embracing the shan 'ofthe stud and beneath th ben f th st d. or rivet 2, nsshown in Fig. 5,

c The engagement of the for ard en of the strlp 8 with the stu limi s furthe fo ward movement of the forward end of the strip an t e rearw rd e d o the strip 8 is then forced urther in o the space occupied by it, so as to ca se the str p '8 o b w 11pwardly away rom he ner so e in mediets of its ends and o er the arch sectio of he inner sol The r r en po tion of t,h1s;str1p 8 is. then iv ted, such s y e rivet or s aple 11 (Fig, 3), to the nn r sol at a p int app ox m tely the br ast o thehe l, so as, to h d the str p 8 in bowe condition, The strip .8 is provided with an aperture 12 (Fig. through which this rivet 11 may be passed. The strip 8 exends ree wardly bey nd it ape e 12 y which its rear end is secured to the inner sible resilient hump or buffer against which th b wed. ec ion of h ip 8 may gage when the latter; is subjected to c0nsidcrable weight or downward pressure. This s r p 13 will be inserted just before the rear end of the strip 8 is secured to the inner sole by the rivet 11 and after the forward end of the strip 8 has been secured beneath the rivet or stud 2. The rivet 2 is tightened, as by pressure applied to both faces of the built up inner sole, after the forward end of the strip 8 has been engaged beneath the head of the same, so that the head of the stud 2 will not project materially above the upper fac o t e strip 8- The strip 8 has a width substantially the same as the co r sponding wid h of t e a ch section of the inner wall over which it is fitted, being only slightly narrower in order to be .insertable between the stitched edges of the sock lining and the inner sole. lVhen leather heels aroused, the heel section of the strip 8 serves either to clinch the po nted ends of h na ich pa hroug th inner ole or if o er e in e to prevent the working of improperly clinched ends of nail hrough the bottom lining of the shoe in a manner to injure the hose or foo of the Wearer- I Ifheels of the ooden or metal type r employed, they may besecured to the heel section of the inner'sole in the usual manner by bolts or screws which pass downwardly hr ug an aper ure 5 prov de n e re or heel s ctio of st p 8 for ha pu p This avoids the necessity of using a piece of f bre heretofore commonly, u d o t e e and prevents the Wood or metal heels from breaking away from the inner sole at the I breast (if the heel, that is at the front edge as illustrated, the various layers cannot be stitched together by a sewing machine while the strip is in place, it being necessary in such a case to stitch the various layers together along the edges at the arch section by hand, which is a slow and expensive procedure. However, with this invention, where the strip 8 may be inserted after thevarious layers makes the support less tiresome to the wearer, more accurately conforms to the arch of the wearers foot, and yields when the weight of ones body is thrown on one particular foot, so as to avoid injury to the arch of that foot. The strip 13 prevents complete'collapse of the spring metal arch, 'under very heavy weight-s, and acts as a further resilient support to the bowed strip 8 when necessary to resist very heavy weights or forces. The strip 8 having a width substantially equal to the width of the arch does not make any ridges in the surface upon which the foot rests and hence this construction is Very comfortable to'the wearer. This construction is also light in weight and shoes equipped with it do not have any tendency to bulge during use. The heel portions of the insole and strip 8 may be covered by a short heel pad or cushion 16 and a heel lining strip of sheet material 17 as shown in Fig. 3.

It will-be obvious that various changes in I the details, which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention, may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. I claim as myinvention':- I 1. A shoe constructioncomprising an inner sole, and a single, one-piece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material anchored at. its ends'to the upper face of said sole, extending over and in a direction lengthwise of the arch section of the sole, with its section intermediate its ends bowed upwardly under tension from said sole, so as to engage and support the arch of ones foot, with the ends of said strip held against separation by the tension of the section of the entireinner sole between the points of anchorage thereto of the ends of said strip.

2. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a single, one-piece archsupporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material anchored at its ends .to the upperface ofsaid sole, ex-

tending over, and in a direction lengthwise of the arch section of the sole, with its section intermediate its ends bowed upwardly under tension from said sole, so as to engage and support'the arch of ones foot, withthe ends of said strip held against separation by the tension of the section of the entire inner sole between the points'of anchorage thereto of the ends of said strip, and a strip ofresilient, compressible cushioning material interposed between the bowed section of the strip and said innersole, but of less thickness than the height of the arch of said strip above said sole.

3. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a headed stud extending from the upper face of said sole, andan arch supporting member of resilient flexible sheet material having a notch at one end slidable forwardly into embracing relation with said stud beneath its head, bowed outwardly from the upper face of said sole and anchored to said sole at its other end.

4.. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a single, one-piece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material anchored at its ends to the upper face of said sole, extending over and in a direction lengthwise of the arch section of the sole, with its section intermediate its ends bowed upwardly under tension from said sole, so as to engage and support the arch of ones foot, with the ends of said strip held against separation by the tension of the section of the entire inner sole between the points of anchorage thereto of the ends of said strip,

and alayer. of sheet cushioning material disposed over said strip and extending forwardly beyond the forward end of the strip.

A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a layer of cushioning sheet material disposed upon the upper face of the sole, a single one-piece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material disposed lengthwise over the arch section of said sole and layer, and means for anchoring. the

ends of said strip to said sole-in a manner to prevent further separation of the ends of the strip, with thestrip intermediate its anchored ends bowed upwardly from said layer to form an arch over said inner sole and layer.

6. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a single, one-piece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material disposed lengthwise over the upper face of the arch section of said sole, said strip having a width approximately equal to the widths of the. corresponding portions of said sole upon which it rests, means for anchoring the ends of said strip to said sole with the strip intermediate its ends bowed upwardly from said sole,a lining-layer of sheet material covering the upper face of said sole and said strip and stitched along its side edges to the side edges of said inner sole.

7, A. shoe construction comprising an inner sole having an arch portion, and a single, one-piece arch supporting strip. of resilient sheet material, anchored at its ends to the upper face of said sole and transversely flexible between its anchored ends, extending over the arch section of said sole and in direction lengthwise thereof with said strip between its ends bowed upwardly under tension from said sole to provide a resilient arch, said strip having a width substantially equal to the width of the corresponding section. of the inner sole between the anchored ends of said Strip,

8. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having an arch portion, a single, onepiece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material, anchored at its ends to the upper face of said sole, extending over the arch section of said sole and in a direction lengthwise thereof with said strip between its ends bowed upwardly under tension from said sole to provide a resilient-- arch, said strip having a width substantially equal to the width of the corresponding section of the inner sole between the anchored ends of said strip, and a lining layer of sheet material disposed over said inner sole and arched strip and secured along its side marginal edges to said inner sole.

9. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole having an abutment upon its upper faceat the forward end of the arch section ther of, a covering lining layer of sheet material covering the upper face of said sole and under tension over the arch section of said sole.

10. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, a rivet passing through said inner sole at a point adjacent the forward end of the arch section thereof, so as to project slightly from the upper face of said sole, a strip of flexible, resilient, sheet material disposed lengthwise over the upper face of the arch section of said sole and having a notch in its forward end embracing the shank of said rivet and confined to the upper face of the inner sole by the head of said rivet, the other end portion of said strip being anchored to said inner sole with the strip, intermediate of its ends, bowed upwardly from said sole, and a lining layer of sheet material disposed on the upper face ofsaid sole and strip.

1 A shoeconstruction comprising an inner sole having a stud rojec ing from its upper face at a point a'dljacent the forward end of the arch section of said solo, a strip of flexible, resilient, sheet metal disposed lengthwise over the arch section of said sole and having a notch in its forward end slidably engaging with said stud, whereby said stud anchors said forward end of said strip to said sole, the rear end portion of said strip being also secured to said sole adjacent the rear end of said arch section, with the portion of the strip between its secured ends bowed upwardly from the upper face of said sole, and a lining layer covering the upper face of said sole and strip and secured along its side edges to said sole.

12. A shoe construction comprising an in nor sole having a stud projecting from its upper face at a point adjacent the forward end ofthe arch section of said sole, a strip of flexible, resilient, sheet metal disposed lengthwise over the arch section ofsaid sole and having a notch in its forward end slidably engaging with said stud, whereby said stud anchors said forward end of said strip to said sole, the rear end portion of said strip being also secured to said sole adjacent the rear end of said arch section, with the portion of the strip between its secured ends bowed upwardly from the upper face of said sole, and a lining layer covering the upper face of'said sole and strip and secured along its side edges to said sole, said strip extending rearwardly from its point of anchorage to said sole, over the heel portion of said sole.

13. A shoe construction comprising an inner sole, and a single, onepiece arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient, sheet metal extending endwise over the arch sec tion of said sole, means for anchoring the end portions of said strip to said sole at points adjacent the ends of said arch section of said sole with the strip, intermediate of its points of anchorage, bowed upwardly under tension from t e upper face of said sole, said strip extending rearwardly over the heel section of said sole.

14. The method of making shoes, which comprises attaching an abutment element to the inner sole forwardly of the middle arch section, so as to project from the'upper face thereof, applying a lining layer to the upper face of said sole, stitching said layer'and sole together along their side edges from the toe end to the heel section, inserting an arch supporting strip of flexible, resilient sheet material into the space between said sole and layer in a direction end first from the heel section, engaging the forward end of said strip with saidelement to limit further inward ovement of said strip, then forcing the rear end of said strip further into said space to cause a bowing upwardly away from said sole of the intermediate portion of said strip, and anchoring the rear end portion of said bowed strip to said sole to maintain the bowed condition of the intermediate portion of said strip.

15. The method of making shoes, which comprises passing a rivet through an inner sole adjacent the forward end of the arch section thereof, so as to project from the upper face thereof, applying a lining layer to the upper face of said sole, stitching said layer and sole together along their side edges from the toe end to the heel section, inserting end first between said layer and sole, from the heel section, a strip of flexible, re-

the rear end of said strip farther into said space to cause a bowing upwardly away from said sole of the intermediate portion of said strip, and anchoring the rearward portion of said vbowed strip to said sole adjacent the rear end of said arch section of said sole, so as to maintain the bowed condition of the intermediate portion of said strip.

JOHN F. RUHLAND. 

